Pakistan's Supreme Court Orders Former PM Imran Khan to Be Moved to Hospital from Jail Amid Health Concerns

Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered on Tuesday that former Prime Minister Imran Khan ​be moved to a hospital from jail, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party ‌said, meeting a longstanding demand of his party and family, who had raised concerns about his health.

Cricketer-turned-politician Khan, 73, has been in jail since August ​2023, convicted in a string of cases that he ​says were politically driven following his ouster in 2022.

A three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Shahid Wahid and comprising Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, issued the ruling on Imran's petition for his hospitalisation.

His sons ⁠repeatedly expressed concern regarding his deteriorating health last year, with his ​lawyers saying he had lost significant vision in his right eye ​while in prison.

"It's a very welcome order, and we wish it had happened sooner so his eye and general health would not have deteriorated this much," ​PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari said. "He should remain in hospital until all ​doctors are satisfied," he said.

The court has directed Khan be moved to Shifa ‌International ⁠Hospital within 48 hours and remain there until September 16, Khan's spokesperson Naeem Haider Panjutha said on X.

Since he lost power in a no-confidence vote, Khan has faced multiple cases, including over state ​gifts and an ​unlawful marriage. Some ⁠convictions have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. He denies wrongdoing.

Underscoring the severity of the situation, former Pakistan President Arif Alvi claimed on Tuesday that the imprisoned leader's medical reports were deeply alarming. In a post on social media platform X, 

Alvi expressed grave concern over Khan's anxiety, high blood pressure and an elevated heart rate of 54 beats per minute, warning that "isolation is taking a physical toll on his body" and urging an immediate transfer to a hospital under an independent panel of doctors.

Cricket greats from around the ​world, including from across the border in India, demanded better ​treatment ⁠for him in February, expressing "deep concern" about his prison conditions.

PTI won power in 2018 and retains a large support base across key provinces. ⁠But it ​was stripped of its election symbol ​ahead of the 2024 vote, forcing its candidates to run as independents.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan remains behind bars, while his sons, Sulaiman Khan and Kasim Khan, have raised concerns about their father's access to family, lawyers and doctors.

"We have no updates because his family, doctors and lawyers haven't been allowed to see him for seven months," they told CNN earlier this month.

The statements coincided with nationwide demonstrations staged across Pakistan by supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party, demanding the immediate release of the party's founder and his spouse, Bushra Bibi.

Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 until he was ousted through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022, has been incarcerated since 2023 following convictions in several cases, including graft charges and the alleged disclosure of official secrets.

Khan and his political aides have consistently maintained that the legal proceedings are politically motivated to block his political return.

Following his removal, Khan led nationwide rallies alleging that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's administration conspired with Pakistan's military establishment and Washington to remove him.

The Pakistani administration subsequently launched a crackdown against the PTI leadership and supporters, barring the party from participating in the 2024 general elections.

Khan's supporters have repeatedly alleged that the cases against him are politically motivated and designed to prevent his political comeback. (With Reuters Inputs)